Where The Wild Thing Runs
by Gold-Snitcher
Summary: DMHP. AU. Hogwarts' newest student is a wild child recovered from a forest in the process of turning Dark. With him, the enigmatic boy brings a mystery that may ultimately help or destroy the world of Wizardy as they confront a new rising darkness.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **_Where the Wild Thing Runs_

**Author: **Gold-Snitcher

**Chapter One:** Leanbhi

**Pairing: **SS/HP

**Summary: **AU. Years after Voldemort's defeat, the world is a different place but peace came at too great a cost and the world is leery of darkness. Which makes the enigmatic new 'transfer student' who was captured in the middle of a forest that was becoming Dark, all the more intriguing to the Potions' Master. Amidst the chaos of Hogwarts, Severus struggles to understand his student, combat a rising darkness, and deal with emotions that are inappropriate.

---------------------------

Severus Snape set down his quill and picked up the parchment he had been writing on. He folded it three times, neatly and methodically, and then rose from his chair, sweeping out of his rooms in the dungeons of the castle with his usual flourish.

He had no interest in the children who hastily backed away from him, allowing him to pass, and he certainly had no patience for the man whose office he was heading to at the moment. All he wanted to do was settle down in front of his fire with the book he had recently purchased and explore new potions that had just been invented.

Severus did not want to teach and he certainly did not want to be pestered by an aging headmaster who he suspected might possibly be senile, and who had convinced him that teaching loathed youths was the perfect way to spend the rest of his life.

It didn't matter to Severus that the request to come to the headmaster's office had seemed quite serious, not at all like the usual request for tea and sweets. He suspected this could possibly be a lead-in to some Order business, but Severus hated his responsibility to the Order almost as much as he hated teaching, so he chose not to think about that either.

At thirty-two, Severus Snape had spent most of his life at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Severus had spent his youth as a student of the school, graduating near the top of his class. Later, after his graduation, when he had joined the Order of the Phoenix, he had stayed at the school, both for his own protection and because it was easier to stay in contact with the other members of the resistance. It had been a dark time, with a new evil rising and having the members of the Order being the only ones who were organized enough to do something about it. In the end it had worked, and the Dark Lord Voldemort had been killed.

Nobody spoke of Voldemort, nor of his defeat or his rise to power. When it came, his demise had not been a victory to the Wizarding World. His death had come at too high a price.

With a sigh, Severus rounded the corner and glowered at the stone gargoyle. "Sherbert Lemon," he snarled and tightened his grip on the parchment as the gargoyle leapt aside, allowing him entry. He climbed the stairs quickly and knocked once on the door, not bothering to wait; Albus always knew when he was there anyway.

"Severus," Albus greeted, holding out a freshly poured cup of tea. Severus hated doing anything predictable and therefore hated that the headmaster always seemed to know exactly what he was doing, or planning to do. With a curt nod he accepted the tea and had taken the seat that the aged headmaster had offered before he noticed the other occupant of the office.

"Remus," Severus greeted with a stiff nod.

Remus Lupin was Severus' age and had attended Hogwarts at the same time. During the war, Albus had seen fit to partner them on various missions since both were professors at the school. Severus wasn't particularly fond of the man, as Remus had assumed the Defence Against the Dark Arts position that Severus had been coveting since he had started as a professor at Hogwarts. Severus had figured that if he were going to be stuck teaching students then Defence Against the Dark Arts would be a challenging topic and the children would be more inclined to learn from him.

Children, he found, were predisposed to favour Defence over Potions, as Potions required too much logical thought. It was a quiet, meditative activity and children did not seem to have the capacity to be either quiet or meditative.

"Now that you have arrived, I may proceed," Albus said, sitting down behind his desk and smiling faintly, his keen blue eyes glinting in the afternoon light. "As you both are more than aware, the Order has been keeping track of Dark magic, whether the source be dark witches and wizards or dark creatures." When Remus and Severus both nodded, Albus flicked his hand in the general direction of the far wall of his office and a large map dropped down, shielding the large bookcases from view. "There have been reports of a migration of dark creatures to the Samhradtil forest in Wiltshire. Now, no one has yet been able to figure out the reason behind this strange behaviour, and the best way to do this would be to venture into the forest itself."

"Have there been any reports of dark magic being at the source of this?" Remus asked and Albus shook his head.

"As far as anyone can tell, it seems to be spontaneous migration. But why so many different kinds of dark creatures would all choose this place..."

"So you are sending two wizards in to a forest that could be in the process of becoming a purely Dark Forest to ascertain whether there is a new Dark Lord or, for a refreshing change, a Dark Lady, behind the strange behaviour of a few dark beasts," Severus asked, his tone the usual even drawl which he used when he was having trouble believing someone else's stupidity.

"Now, Severus," Albus said calmly, "That would hardly be prudent. Samhradtil is a large forest and the number of dark creatures is quite impressive. No, I think it best to send in a number of Order members, but the two of you will be among them. Wards have been put up around the forest, similar to the wards here, in fact. But Moody and I have decided that it would be best if the forest were explored as quickly as possible, and have decided that this Friday, the start of the autumn break, will be the best time, so as not to interrupt any of your classes and give us plenty of time to work with."

"How considerate," Severus drawled quietly.

"Severus, I assume you brought the break-down of that potion which I had requested?" Severus nodded and handed over the parchment he had written on earlier. He didn't know why Albus had made the request, nor did he know the circumstances under which Albus had encountered such a complex and multi-faceted potion but the exercise (for that was how Severus had approached the odd request) had been quite interesting and Severus was rather proud of his work. "Thank-you," Albus said as he accepted the parchment. "That will be all, gentlemen."

Severus nodded and rose along with Remus and they exited the office together. "Does it make sense to you? Have you ever known dark creatures to behave like that?" Remus queried.

"No," Severus answered bluntly, and he had encountered a number of dark creatures in his years.

"I suppose we will find out tomorrow," Remus stated and Severus snorted, already turning and heading towards his rooms in the dungeons.

………………….

Severus scowled darkly and knocked back a good dosage of a headache cure. Classes usually left him with a migraine and so he always made sure to keep a fresh batch of remedies in his private stores. This headache had nothing to do with classes, however. He had slept quite poorly, suffering from strange dreams and when he had woken he had, perhaps unwisely, succumbed to his memories and was lost in his own private thoughts.

Setting the empty vial aside, he took his cloak from the dresser and headed out of his rooms. He set the wards with a practised flick of his wand and turned, heading through the halls where he met Remus on his way out of the Entrance Hall. They walked to Hogsmeade in silence before promptly apparating to the outskirts of Samradtil forest in Wiltshire.

It was a bit of a shock, though Severus would never admit it, to find so many people waiting on the outskirts of the forest. When Albus had mentioned others, Severus had pictured the members of the Inner Circle of the Order, but this was clearly much more extensive than that.

He was dimly aware of Remus eyeing everyone hesitantly from his position beside him but Severus dismissed this. Remus had been exposed as a werewolf two years ago but still, some people found it difficult to adjust to the mild-mannered man, continuously expecting him to lunge forward and rip out their hearts and teethe on their skulls. Perhaps that was why, in the end, Remus did not grate on his nerves so much, because Severus had more than enough experience with not fitting in with the status quo.

"Gentlemen!" A pudgy pink-faced man greeted as he rushed over to them. "Kingsley has been waiting for you! He's in the main tent! I hope you brought your things!" the man said excitedly, as if they were a bunch of teenagers out camping rather than fully-grown witches and wizards here to explore a possible uprising of Dark creatures.

"Things?" Remus asked.

"Yes, yes! Tent, clothes, that sort of thing. Don't know how long we'll be, after all," the man explained. Severus rolled his eyes. How like Albus to not alert them to the fact that this excursion could possibly take more than a single day. "Well, I should be over with Daydle, he's leading my group. Have to be organized, you know!" the man said in an irritatingly cheerful manner and hurried off. Severus was tempted to rub at his temple but stopped the gesture; obviously the headache remedy had yet to kick-in

They headed to what must be the main tent, since it was considerably larger than those surrounding it, and stepped inside. Immediately Kingsley Shaklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks and a few other familiar faces greeted them. "We've decided that the best way to cover the forest is to cut into groups, each group gets a spot on the grid to search," Kingsley explained by way of greeting and motioned to a map of the forest with grid lines on it. "You both will be with Tonks and Moody and I, as well as Benji," Kingsley waved a hand at the small group that was already assembled behind him. Severus knew each of them from the war.

They were each members of the Inner Circle, the original members of the Order and thus, those in charge of it. Benji, the youngest of the group, was about twenty years of age, or so Severus had surmised from watching the man. It was unfortunate that Benji and Tonks had been placed in the same group, as they had a tendency to become sidetracked and always chattered incessantly.

"We should head out as soon as possible. Moody has set midday as the best time for it," Shaklebolt explained. "So you've got some time to organize your gear and set up your tents. Meet back here at noon!"

Remus and Severus stepped out of the main tent and looked around at the camp. "Shall we go set up our tents then?" Remus asked with a hint of sarcasm that surprised the potions master.

"Yes," Severus agreed. He picked up a rock and followed the werewolf to the outer edges of the camp where he dropped the rock, tapped it with his wand and promptly transfigured it into a large tent. Without turning to see if Remus had managed with his own tent, Severus disappeared inside, picking out useful rocks and transfiguring them into a suitable bedroll and other such necessities.

………………..

They were moving through the woods at a steady pace. It was dense, but not anything too impossible to navigate through. The quiet of the woods were oddly soothing, at least to Severus, though he noted that his companions seemed to be unnerved by it. It wasn't silence really, there was the constant chirrup of the birds that had yet to migrate and the usual woodland sounds, but as compared to Hogwarts, this was blissful peace.

"We should split up now, into pairs," Kingsley suggested and everyone agreed.

Kingsley and Tonks and Moody and Benji separated, leaving Severus and Remus to explore the middle section of their square of the grid.

Severus was still having trouble figuring what exactly it was that they were looking for. Besides dark creatures, (of which they encountered quite a few), there didn't seem to be much strategy in Moody's plan to search the woods. It seemed almost guaranteed that they would find something, if there was indeed something to find. But once found it they wouldn't be able to _do_ anything. Two wizards were not exactly the best way to bring down unknown evil. He supposed that the plan was to simply scout on this venture and then return with a larger group to areas that were suspicious, but it wasn't as if they could politely excuse themselves if they ran into whatever was behind this bizarre occurrence.

"It's strange," Remus said quietly as they began to carry on with their established route. Severus refused to honour that ridiculous statement with a request to elaborate. He knew Remus well enough to know that the man would talk whether or not Severus ordered him to be silent. Sometimes the man was as irritating as Dumbledore himself.

"That man who greeted us. The newer Order members look at this as if it were a game."

"It _is_ a game to them," Severus muttered as he stepped over a fallen log. He was used to these sorts of conversations. He had often been sent with Remus on missions during the war, it seemed only natural that they should be partnered again once more.

As Remus continued talking about the Order and then moved on to lighter topics, Severus contemplated Remus' statement. The newer members to the Order were, in Severus' opinion, drunk off the victory over Voldemort.

True, many years had passed since then, but the lack of any significant dark magic practitioners had made people overly confident. It wasn't that most of the people to join the Order were young idealists who wanted to be a part of their parents' legacy, though they had some of those recruits, such as Benji. Most were older wizards who wanted the prestige of the title of 'member of the Order of the Phoenix', without the trouble of actually fighting off any real dark witches or wizards.

"Did you hear that?" Remus suddenly asked, stopping in his tracks and looking about them.

They were deep in the woods and the light that reached them was sifted by the leaves, making the woods look ethereal. Severus was tempted to make some comment of Remus being a werewolf and thus having extremely acute hearing but his own ears picked up the faint crack of twigs.

"Keep moving," Severus whispered and they walked on, moving as quickly as they could without making too much noise. The sound of cracking twigs followed them.

"There's more than one," Remus identified. He sniffed the air and frowned. "Baals, at least three," he identified. Severus cursed softly under his breath. Baals were a sort of demon wolf; very dark creatures that could only be brought down by an extremely powerful spell that only functioned when a witch or wizard had more light energy than dark. Unfortunately, Severus' roll in the war had required him to be more dark than light, and the fact that Remus was a werewolf, regardless of whether he took his wolfsbane potion as required, and despite the fact that he was a mild-mannered man, made him too dark to cast the spell properly.

Severus looked around them, searching for something they could use to ward off the Baals. Trees wouldn't work as the wolves would likely group together to bring down the tree with them still in it. They couldn't run as that would only excite the Baals' interest, and playing dead was taking far too great a risk.

Squinting, Severus could make out a mound not far ahead. "A cave. Small, but it should suffice," Severus said and pointed it out to Remus.

"Protection wards on the entrance?" Remus asked, already planning what to do once they made it there, if they were so lucky.

"The entire cave, there has to be more than one entrance," Severus said. They were almost jogging and they could both clearly hear the sound of their pursuers.

"I think it would be wise to break into a run right about now," Remus stated calmly and Severus agreed as he caught a glimpse of grey fur out of the corner of his eye. They ran as fast as they could, wands out, though they wouldn't really be much use. The small cave was close and Severus had just started to think that they could make it when one of the wolves leapt out in front of them, blocking the entrance to their sanctuary.

Immediately, they slid to a halt and were about to head in a different direction only to find that they were effectively surrounded. Four large wolves, with sharp teeth that were alarmingly large, whose pelts were a dark charcoal grey, snarled and approached slowly, their bodies tucked in a low crouch ready to dive in for the kill.

Severus and Remus stood back to back, gripping their wands, not wanting to throw a spell lest they even further anger the creatures with their pitiful attempts at distraction. And yet, it seemed to be the only chance they had. Severus raised his wand, ready with a curse on his lips. He glared at the Baal in front of him and was about to let his spell go careening between those vicious glowing silver eyes.

It happened in slow motion. Or it seemed to. Severus was very familiar with this kind of slow motion, as he had found that unexpected things tended to play out at this speed. As he threw his curse at the wolf, the animal lunged at him, leaping over the curse, claws outreaching and gleaming in the fractured light. Severus prepared himself for impact, but it never came.

Blinking, he noticed that something else had entered the clearing and was now tucked in a low crouch between Severus and the attacking Baal.

A boy.

Severus had enough time to make out dark ruffled hair and skin that was an eerie soft blue before a light, lulling voice spoke in a lilting language he had never heard before. The wolves lunged at the newcomer and growled, but the boy hopped from his position onto a large boulder and then deftly caught a tree branch, swinging himself up to perch on the branch.

Severus and Remus both watched as the wolves yipped and jumped up to the perch and it took them a moment to realize that what had only moments before been an attack had turned into play.

The boy was playing with these dark beasts!

Jumping down from the branch and landing in a crouch on the ground, the boy sat, petting the large wolves with a strange smile on his lips. The animals seemed to quiet immediately, and one even relaxed into the boy's lap. After a moment, the boy looked up and his eyes met Severus' directly.

Severus realized that the blue he had taken to be the natural colour of the stranger's skin was actually paint, he looked like the paintings Severus had seen in old books of Picts, though the boy was short and Picts had always been described as quite tall. The eyes that were glinting in the light were a deep green that Severus had never encountered before, vibrant and solid in colour, gleaming like emeralds. It was a very bizarre and unnerving scene, watching this fey child petting the dark wolves as if they were harmless puppies.

The scene lasted only moments before a shout made the boy's head snap up and the wolves' ears perk and in a flash, they had disappeared into the woods.

"Remus! Severus! Are you alright?" Benji asked as he ran up to them.

"We're fine," Severus stated, satisfied when his voice came out as his usual drawl with not a hint of his surprise contained in its baritone depths.

"How did you know to come?" Remus asked, sounding slightly dazed though still calm.

"I didn't," Benji admitted. "Well, I was coming anyway, a lot of us have run into various creatures. We're heading back to camp." Benji looked off in the direction the wolves had run. "That was strange behaviour. Have you ever seen them act like that? They just ran off! Why would they do that?" Severus turned and began to head back the way he came, ignoring Benji's surprised questions and Remus' half-answers.

……………………..

"You say there was a boy in the woods?" Moody asked gruffly and Remus nodded.

"How could that be? There are too many dark creatures there, he should have been killed already," one of the other aurors pointed out.

"Whatever he is, he chased off the Baals, so I imagine the other creatures just leave him be," Severus muttered and Remus smiled faintly at the comment.

"Is it possible that this boy is a dark wizard, and thus the source of this strange migration?" another auror asked. Severus frowned. It was very possible that the young man had indeed been a dark wizard, but Severus had a very keen sense when it came to spotting such things and he had not sensed anything like that.

"I smelt no trace of dark magic from him," Remus said, sounding puzzled. Severus realized that they wanted to believe the boy was a dark wizard, because that would simplify everything, if the boy was not a practitioner of dark magic, then how could he control the dark beasts?

"Regardless, we must track him down and speak with him. Severus, I assume you have brought some veritaserum?" Doyle, one of the Order members who worked at the Ministry, asked.

"I did not bring any such thing," Severus snapped and Doyle frowned at him.

"He'll have to be taken back to the Ministry then, for interrogation," Doyle said.

"That's assuming he can be found. And once found, that he will allow himself to be escorted to the Ministry," Benji answered. "And I don't think that either thing will be easy to do." Severus had to agree with Benji, the boy was some strange wild thing that should be approached with caution. And if indeed the strategy was to locate the boy's home, for surely he must sleep somewhere, and then converge on him, there seemed to be an enormous possibility for casualties.

Cornered beasts tended to lash out particularly viciously.

* * *

i Leanbh child in Gaelic 


	2. Chapter 2

The leaves on the trees were a strange red-bronze colour that seemed almost themselves to be luminescent. As Severus walked through the woods, he was taken with the surprising beauty of the place. The Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts had once looked quite similar to this place, but Severus couldn't bring himself to think about that.

They had spread out to search the full expanse of Samradtil. They had patrolled the woods and finally, with several spells and a good deal of tracking, had located the boy's burrow, a small cave that looked surprisingly cozy. With this discovery, Kingsley had decided to set a watch at the cave to see when the boy returned.

It seemed a rather ineffective way of tracking the youth. After all, the boy would surely know better than to waltz home with an obvious sentinel perched outside. The Order members were a rather visible group of witches and wizards who had never been to this forest before, who also had to be concerned with dark creatures. And here they were, tracking a youth who obviously knew Samradtil very well, possibly spending his entire life there. There was no doubt who was at the disadvantage, but Severus ignored that and continued on his way through the woods, heading towards the cave where the boy supposedly stayed.

He was nearing the heart of Samradtil when he first became aware of it. Years of spying during the war had given Severus a sort of sixth sense, and it was quite clear that there was someone who was watching him. He casually bent low to examine the ground at his feet and took the opportunity to glance subtly around him.

There was nothing there.

Still, the little hairs on the back of his neck had risen and his skin was prickling and he knew he was being followed. Taking a few steps forward, he heard a faint rustle of trees that could have easily been dismissed as the wind. Severus knew better.

There was a strange sense of satisfaction that it was he who had finally tracked the youth, and that was warring with the other part of him which was distinctly aware that he had no idea what, now, to do with the child.

He walked slowly on, pretending to still be searching the woods, and contemplated. It wouldn't do to call to Kingsley or Remus, or send a warning flare because the boy had proven that he was incredibly skittish. Obviously there was enough curiosity in the stranger to lure him forth and have him tracking the very people who were tracking him, but Severus had no doubt that any move that seemed remotely threatening would send the boy disappearing once more. Or worse, possibly summoning more Baals or other such dangerous beasts.

It seemed only logical, then, that he should face the child himself and see if he could lure him out. With this in mind, Severus stopped and settled down on a nearby boulder and pulled from his inner robe pocket a small package of biscuits. It was well after lunch time, and usually Severus hardly noticed the meal, but he had often seen Hagrid, the school's Care of Magical Creatures professor, luring various beasts out into the open with various foods, and Severus couldn't see why that wouldn't work in this situation.

Chewing slowly, he let his eyes close, seeming to let down his guard. In reality, he was letting his other senses take over. Since he couldn't see where the boy was anyway, there seemed to be little point in keeping his eyes open. It was yet another talent that his precarious position in the war had required him to develop.

He wasn't certain how much time passed, but eventually Severus became aware of another presence and he opened his eyes. Sure enough, perched across the way, seemingly ready to leap into the trees and thence to safety at the slightest provocation, was the boy.

He wore what seemed, at one point, to have been dark green pants, but were now ripped or had purposely been torn so that they ended just below the knee. He wore no top, but the blue paint that Severus had noted the last time covered sections of the pale chest. His arms and part of his face were also covered in strange designs that Severus did not know the meaning of. As far as he knew, the paint was not part of any of the warding or protection spells that usually required such a primitive thing as body paint, but then again, this boy was quite strange on more than one level.

There was a braided leather tie around his right ankle and his left upper arm, and around his right wrist was a thick leather cuff. A simple necklace with a very white and very sharp-looking tooth hanging on a leather thong was around the boy's neck like a choker, and grasped in one slender hand was a rather threatening dagger.

They eyed each other from opposite ends of the clearing until, finally, Severus raised a biscuit and wordlessly offered it to the boy.

He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he was expecting. Part of him felt certain that, like a wild animal, the boy would creep forward and snatch the biscuit from his hand, and he could slowly win the boy's trust by not making any move to capture him. Another part of him felt sure that they would simply stare at each other for a while, and then the boy might panic and throw his dagger at him and then disappear.

What he was not expecting was the quirked eyebrow, the small smirk, and the glitter in the moss green eyes that seemed to clearly express amusement. Severus scowled at the boy and, in spite, took a large bite of the biscuit. Unfortunately, this seemed to amuse the creature more as the slight quirk in the lips turned into a crooked smile.

"I'm happy I amuse you," Severus snarled and the boy cocked his head to one side. Severus figured that the youth likely did not understand him. They stared at each other again, with Severus growing more irritable and the youth seeming to become increasingly amused. After a few moments, the boy settled onto the boulder, sitting with his legs crossed, the dagger resting beside him on the rock, yet still within easy reach of his hand.

They sat like that for a while, until Severus had the startling realization that the silence was oddly companionable; then a shout from Kingsley had the boy snatching his dagger, placing it between white teeth and leaping up into the trees in one swift motion that startled Severus.

"Any sign of him, Severus?" Kingsley asked as he marched into the woods.

"A very clear sign. He was sitting on that rock across the way, and would have been content to stay there if you hadn't screeched your bloody head off," Severus snapped.

"Now, seeing as my shift is done, I will retire," he stated and stood up, marching back through the woods, hoping desperately that Kingsley would not notice the biscuit he had purposely left, and, if he did, that he wouldn't comment on it.

……………………

There were several more sightings of the boy but, according to the guards, he did not stay long. It seemed as if they had piqued his curiosity. Severus guarded the cave for several more shifts, but he did not see the boy again.

It was on the third day of camping outside of the woods that Severus awoke to the faint shouts of Aurors. He listened but there was no panic in the tone, only the sounds of impatience and anxiety. He lay for a moment, allowing himself to acclimatize to the morning before he sat up and pulled the sheets away.

He stood up and stretched before he reached for his clothes and quickly got dressed. He was just about to exit his tent and go and see what the Aurors were up to when something sitting innocently on his chair caught his attention.

There, sitting atop his worn cloak, was a small cluster of berries.

Severus stared for a moment before he picked them up cautiously. A brief examination proved that these particular berries were not at all poisonous. Frowning, Severus took them with him, exiting the tent in the hopes of finding Remus and perhaps finding who had left them.

"Severus, they've caught him!" Benji yelled in greeting as he ran passed, fallowing a clump of running Aurors that were heading towards the edge of the forest.

Severus opened his mouth to ask for further details but already Benji had run passed. He turned, looking for another source of news and came face to face with Remus who was simultaneously running and trying to shove his right foot more securely into his boot. "Have you heard?" Remus asked, as he came up to Severus. "They've captured him. Doyle's taking him to the Ministry."

"Shouldn't the priority be to bring him to Albus?" Severus asked, wondering when the Order of the Phoenix had begun to value what Minister Fudge thought of anything.

"That's what Albus just said," Remus stated, already hurrying towards where the others were clustering. To Severus' raised eyebrow, Remus explained. "I fire-called him. He wants the child brought to Hogwarts."

"Is that entirely wise?" Severus asked.

"Maybe not," Remus muttered. "But it's what Albus ordered."

They reached the outskirts of the clustered group and began to force their way in. Coming to the centre they caught sight of the boy. He was in chains but struggling furiously, kicking and snarling and there was hatred burning in his eyes, and also to Severus' astonishment, there was restraint there as well, as if however much he wanted to the boy was trying not to hurt anyone.

Doyle stepped forward and levelled his wand at the boy which immediately caught the youth's attention. "That's right. Stay nice and still or it'll be a nice curse for you," Doyle purred dangerously. Severus watched the proceedings with disinterest until a faint sound caught his attention, and Remus' tensing beside him and reaching for his wand made him aware that he was not the only one who sensed it.

"I would recommend," Severus said, loud enough to catch Doyle's attention, but not too loud that he startled the man. "That you take a step away from the child and lower your wand."

"Why would I do that?" Doyle hissed, but was cut off as a large grey demon wolf lunged through the crowd and knocked Doyle to the ground. Though the wolf kept him pinned, and snarled dangerously, it made no move to attack. "Get this fucking thing off me! It's vicious! It's going to kill me!" Doyle screeched.

Severus observed the writhing man for a moment and then glanced back at the boy who seemed to have an oddly satisfied expression on his face. "It's not going to kill you, you idiot wizard," Snape snarled, but nonetheless he kept his movements slow as he walked up to the boy. A part of him understood that the child could not understand what any of them were saying, but he hoped that at least, he could interpret the tone of his voice.

"Call it off," Severus requested and the boy simply looked at him with angry eyes and tilted his chin up, defiant even though he could barely stand under the weight of the chains. Out of the corner of his eye, Severus noted the rest of the wolf pack closing in behind the cluster of Order members.

"Unchain him," Severus tried, motioning for one of the members whose name Severus hadn't bothered to recall.

"Do no such thing!" Doyle screeched and the wolf snarled and pressed him down once more.

"Unfasten the chains!" Remus snarled. "He's just a child and you're treating him like a _Death Eater_."

"For all we know, he _could_ be!" screamed Doyle in outrage.

"There is no mark on his arm," Severus pointed out and then, with an aggravated sigh, he set to work unwarding the chains himself. Finally the boy was free, but he did not make a move to run.

"I mean you no harm," Severus tried, sounding quite odd, in his opinion. "I wish to bring you to speak to a friend of mine. We will not harm you." The boy's eyes shifted to look at Doyle and Severus' opinion of the wild child went up a notch. "He will be kept away," Severus assured the boy. "Will you call off your – friends?" he tried.

With a measuring look the boy took a step back from Severus, eyes flicking between Doyle and the crowd that had amassed around them. It was clear that, even if Severus sounded as if there was a choice involved, there was none.

The boy licked his lips nervously and then spoke in a strange language that Severus had heard him use once before when the boy had first appeared and was playing with the wolves that had been trying to kill Remus and himself. He watched, oddly amazed, as the wolf ceased snarling and backed off of Doyle, walking casually passed the boy who scratched its ears.

The boy stood still at the centre of the circle. Doyle seemed reluctant to move and Severus had no idea what would happen next. The wolf left the circle and there was silence for a moment, then a piercing howl that sent shivers through everyone, even Severus who was used to terrifying sounds, even Remus who had uttered such chilling calls himself. A strange smile spread tentatively across the boy's face and then, flapping down from out of the skies, a single raven perched on his shoulder, nipping the boy's ear in a seemingly affectionate gesture. With a resigned look, the boy turned to Severus and waited.

"I think he's ready to go," Remus interpreted. Severus nodded and followed Remus over to the boy and the raven, and then, with a shared nod, they each grasped one of the boy's wrists and apparated.

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End Chapter One:

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In case it wasn't clear, Snape and Lupin couldn't apparate to safety because of the wards that were, as Dumbledore stated: "Similar to those of Hogwarts".


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:**_Where the Wild Thing Runs_  
**Author:** Gold-Snitcher  
**Chapter Three:** A Trick of the Light

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The blue-painted boy sat in the elegant Victorian chair across from the large cluttered desk of the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The sight was very peculiar; to see a boy so clearly wild, with rakish hair and blue runic designs along his body, without a shirt, chest covered only by the blue symbols and shoulders covered with a robe that Remus had tucked around him as if on after-thought. This wild creature was seated in an office which, cluttered though it was, was still so very confined and elegant. Severus found himself fascinated by the contrast of the sight.

The boy did not fidget. He sat perfectly calmly looking at the portraits on the wall, which in turn looked at him. Severus observed the young man out of the corner of his eye as he did his best to focus on the hurried and whispered conversation that was going on between Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore, updating the headmaster on this, their peculiar find.

Finally, after the entire account had been relayed and as many questions as could be answered addressed, Albus Dumbledore turned to the young man and smiled. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Albus said. The boy blinked back at him blankly with large verdant eyes. "Hm," was Albus' thought on that.

There followed a rather amusing one-sided conversation between Albus and the boy, with the old wizard using bizarre hand-gestures to attempt to convey his meaning as he described what Hogwarts was, and that the boy would be staying there in order to be educated.

"This is the Sorting Hat," Albus said, and pantomimed sorting things into piles, and then contorted his fingers to form a hat-shape. "I will place it on your head," Albus said, with the appropriate hand gestures for hat, and then pantomimed placing it on the boy's head.

The boy blinked. Albus took this to mean that it was all right to proceed and removed the Sorting Hat from the shelf and carefully placed it on the youth's head. The silence that followed was choked with nervous anticipation, and Severus spent the time wondering whether or not he wanted this wild thing in his house. On the one hand, Slytherin had a tendency of being filled with a certain class of magical child – mainly, wealthy and self-involved youths, and to have this youth added to his collection of students would certainly break things up a bit. On the other hand, Slytherins had keen minds and were almost always scheming, with the traits the wild child had displayed, he would certainly be a handful and Severus wasn't certain if he was inclined to tolerate the integration process this boy would have to endure.

"Gryffindor!" the hat suddenly cried, and Severus had a moment to come to grips with the odd conflict of disappointment and relief that rose within him before the hat cried out again, "Slytherin!" And Severus' emotions shifted to complete bafflement.

"A dual sorting?" Remus asked. "Or was that an error?"

"A dual sorting, most definitely," Albus said. "The Sorting Hat does not make errors. This is very interesting. It has not happened in some many years. Well, I suppose we need to make the arrangements." Albus turned to his desk and began shuffling things about while Severus eyed the boy skeptically and Remus seemed torn – staring first at the boy with curiosity, then the headmaster with confusion, and finally, Severus, with first a lost look and then remembering that they were not exactly friendly, a slight frown.

"This has been done before? It doesn't affect the socialization and education of the child?" Remus asked.

"No, no, not at all," Albus said. "Meals are eaten alternately at either of the house tables, a room provided with an entrance into either dormitory."

"But Gryffindor is in the tower and Slytherin in the dungeon!" Remus said.

"And I was under the mistaken impression that you were a wizard," Severus muttered quietly, though not so quietly that Remus didn't hear, Severus quirked an eyebrow at the man's glare.

"Indeed, providing rooms with odd characteristics is a quirk of Hogwarts. Classes can be arranged easily, as well. As I have said, this sort of thing has happened before."

"Though not often," Remus prompted.

"No," Albus admitted. "Not at all often." He paused and clapped his hands together. "We shall have to arrange tests for his magic so that we know what classes he should be attending. I will notify the other professors, perhaps you both can arrange something as well."

"I'll have something arranged by tomorrow," Severus said, and Remus nodded his head in agreement.

"Test for all levels, I do not think whatever his placement will be can be exactly accurate, but we will do our best," Albus said. "Now," and here the headmaster finally turned and acknowledged the quiet presence of the wild child. "Let's get you situated in your rooms, my boy."

………………………….

Leaf, as the boy had been dubbed by Hagrid who had taken to the boy as quickly as he did to any number of dangerous and obscure creatures, looked quite normal in the simple grey trousers and dark sweater, with a black lined cloak to keep out the chill. He had bathed and there was no sign of the blue designs on his skin – which went a long way in making him appear more civilized, though Severus wasn't sure what he thought about that. The boy's hair was still a chaotic mess, as if he had simply sprung forth from his bed without stopping a moment to fix it.

The boy had nothing but the clothes he had been brought in wearing, and Minerva had agreed – as the boy was a member of her house – to take him into Diagon Alley and fetch him the clothes he would be needing as well as the wand which was very necessary for the testing the professors had planned for the boy. Since they were unsure where he would be placed it was decided that any further supplies would be owled to the school as needed.

"Come along," Minerva gestured Leaf forward and he hastened to keep apace. Severus watched them disappear out the front door on his way in to breakfast. The student body had not been notified as of yet. Albus had thought it best to wait and to introduce the boy as a transfer student. Severus wondered how the headmaster planned to deal with the problem of communication. They had no idea whether the boy_could_ even speak. Had he learned? How long had he been in the forest? So many questions, and getting the answers seemed highly unlikely.

……………………

Minerva tried very hard to appear strict as she and Leaf attempted to navigate through the crowds. The truth was that it was so very apparent that the boy was in awe of everything, and was eyeing the surround with childish amazement and enthusiasm. She humored him when it seemed as if he was barely refraining from pressing his face to the glass to examine some new thing by pretending to observe something nearby and allowing him time to survey things closely. In truth, Leaf was very much more reserved than she had expected.

She had wondered, when she had accepted the task of getting the boy his things, how he would be. Thoughts of the boy turning savage while being measured at Madame Malkim's had her clutching her wand within her cloak pocket as precaution. Madame Pomfrey had yet to examine the boy because he would not settle for her to get near him, but he did all right when faced with a measuring tape and had been quite cooperative – for a silent and uncommunicative child.

With the promise that the clothes they had ordered – a mixture of school robes and casual fair, as well as night things, since the boy literally had nothing – would be delivered to the school, they were now on their way to Ollivander's shop.

The chimes jingled merrily as she opened the door, ushering Leaf in before her. She felt a bit silly referring to him as such, but with the boy unable or unwilling to speak, perhaps not even knowing English, it was the only way to address him, short of calling him 'boy' which seemed rather silly. As the shop doors were about to close behind her, there was a screech and a disorienting flutter of feathers in her face, and when it had passed she was faced with Leaf smiling faintly – the first open expression she had seen on the boy – with a raven perched on his shoulder.

"What's this, now?" Ollivander said, stepping out from behind the shadows of the shelves to the front desk. "Ah, professor McGonagall," he greeted. For a moment, she wished very dearly that he would refrain from speaking to her in that tone which never failed to remind her that he was the one who had helped her find her own wand. It made her feel bizarrely young.

"We are here to find a wand for this young man," she said, her hand moving close to but not touching the boy's back as she moved towards the desk. He understood her meaning and moved along with her.

"Ah yes," Ollivander said, turning his attention to Leaf. He stared a moment at the boy, seeming to know not to bother with the standard questions, and instead turned abruptly a moment later and disappeared once more into the back. He returned with a wand, which he retrieved from the box and handed over.

Minerva, knowing how these sorts of things went, remained several feet behind the boy, and as expected, a flick of the boy's wrist set a stack of parchments resting by one of the shelves on fire.

"Hm," Ollivander said, retrieving the wand from a stunned teenager and tucking it back in the box before disappearing again.

One vase crushed to fine powder, one ladder smashed into splintered pieces, several fires, and a meticulously categorized filing system sent into complete disarray later, Ollivander grabbed Leaf by the shoulder and this time they both disappeared into the back.

Minerva tried to remain patient, but she was all too familiar with the saying about the cat's curiosity. She began stepping forward cautiously, attempting to peer down the isle where the boy and the wandmaker had disappeared, and was just about to get a clear view when a bright golden light filled the whole of the shop, and then she heard Ollivander's happy bark of laughter. A moment later and both the old man and the boy returned. "Bit of a puzzle, that one," Ollivander said. "But I knew it had to go sometime." Minerva did not know what that meant, exactly, but Leaf was clutching a very finely carved wand of a brightly polished though dark wood, and since that was why they had come in the first place, she did not inquire further.

They traveled via floo into Hogsmeade and made the rest of the walk in relative peace. Minerva keeping an eye on her charge, and Leaf seemingly distracted by the Forbidden Forest that they had to pass as they entered onto the school grounds. Minerva had let her guard down as they had crossed onto Hogwarts grounds. She associated the school with safety, what with the wards and the fact that the staff was comprised of many powerful and skilled witches and wizards. Being back at the school also meant being out of the way of prying eyes. While the student body still knew nothing about Leaf, the staff did know and would be understanding, and the majority of the student body would be inside anyway. Indeed, she could see not a single person on the grounds. Of course she relaxed as she walked the familiar pathway that led to the school. Leaf, however, seemed to perk-up, his enthusiasm which Minerva had been observing throughout the trip to Diagon Alley returning and he scanned the trees as they passed them.

The growl was soft, almost a whisper carried in the wind, but she heard it just the same. Her reaction was swift, drawing her wand and stepping before her student she kept Leaf behind her. Only, Leaf seemed to be trying to move past her towards the woods. It took her a moment to realize Leaf himself was returning the growl with one of his own, and a moment later a large silver baal trotted out of the woods and sat two feet from a shocked Minerva McGonagall, as if it were a well-trained house pet. Leaf pushed passed her and scratched the beast behind the ear before turning and smiling so broadly at her that it felt as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds.

"You cannot bring that _thing_ into the school," Minerva asserted, keeping her wand out. Leaf frowned and turned back to the baal, he crouched down and continued to pet the beast. "Come away at once," Minerva said, the sight of the boy so relaxed with such a dangerous beast was greatly unnerving her. At that moment, the raven that had arrived at the school with the boy returned in a flurry of flapping wings and settled primly onto Leaf's shoulder. "We cannot keep the headmaster waiting," Minerva said.

Leaf whispered something to the wolf, the first words Minerva had ever heard the boy utter and it was in a language she had never heard and could not recognize but could freely admit liking the sound of. The wolf trotted away into the woods, and Leaf stood and returned to her side. They continued on their way towards the main entrance as if a dangerous dark beast had not just interrupted their walk. As they climbed the steps into the school there was more flapping of wings and a second raven settled on Leaf's other shoulder. Minerva did her best to ignore the shiver that the strange silver eyes of the second raven sent down her spine, but Leaf seemed perfectly content to have the birds there, and she did not say another word on it.

……………………

Severus paid little attention to the chatter in the staff room as very often it was news he was long-since aware of. As a Slytherin Severus made it his business to know all the secrets that the school attempted very ineffectually to keep.

As the days of testing of the strange youth progressed however, the gossip around the staff room suddenly became intriguing. He learned for instance, that while the boy had a startling lack of knowledge when it came to wizard history, he was transfiguring things at the level of a well-advanced seventh year. The boy's charms skills were rivaling those of the professor – apparently he had used several spells that Flitwick had never heard of before. Remus Lupin was unusually silent after he came from his session with the child but recorded on the sheet of the boy's progress that he was well prepared for seventh year Defense.

Severus had no idea what to expect that morning as he set the required things out on one of the student desks. As far as he could ascertain, no one was quite sure what to do with the boy since in certain classes – arithmancy and history of magic for example – he was at a first year level. Other classes he was casting spells the professors had never heard of and with a skill of an advanced seventh year, and yet there were basic spells and charms he was lacking. Professor Sprout had marveled at the boy's ability to handle some of her more dangerous plants, yet she had due to the language barrier – been unable to test his knowledge of what to do with those plants.

Severus had prepared several practical tests that would take the entire day to run-through, unless the boy failed at one, at which point Severus would assign him to a skill-level, however approximate.

The boy was prompt, at least. He arrived on quiet feet, dressed in dark robes and peering at him curiously. Severus refused to pantomime for the boy's behalf, instead, he explained very clearly what he expected the boy to do, gestured to the several stations, and waited expectantly. The boy – Severus refused to think of him as 'Leaf' – stepped forward hesitantly to what Severus had indicated was the first station. He took a moment to survey the ingredients and Severus was impressed that the boy examined each ingredient to assess its level of freshness – something that would affect what potions were available to brew, and also how the brewing progressed. After a brief assessment, the boy settled into brewing with an ease that reminded Severus of himself.

A halt was called at lunch so the boy could eat. A house elf delivered a plate of sandwiches that the boy devoured with interest. Severus took one and ate it as he examined the contents of some of the potions the boy had already completed. There were ten stations in total, the ingredients varying at each. Severus explained that each ingredient had to be used in the potion, but did not specify what could or should be brewed, nor did he supply a textbook. It was a rigorous exam but he had no intention of admitting a student into a class he was not prepared for.

Six of the ten stations had been completed. Thus far, the potions were brewed well and the boy showed appropriate decorum while brewing. He waited as the boy finished off his lunch and then sent him back to work. By the time the last potion was complete, Severus sent the boy away and proceeded with his testing of the potions.

Seven of the ten were excellently brewed potions, ranging from beginner potions that he might have assigned a first-year, to sixth year potions. One was an acceptable brew, but not as well made as the others, and one more was improperly brewed. The last, however, was a potion that he had never seen before.

Setting aside the results, Severus retired to his private rooms. How could it make sense that the boy could achieve the results he had, in any of the subjects? He mustn't have spent all that time in the forest. It would be impossible, wouldn't it? Someone had to have taught him, there was no other way to explain his knowledge.

By the next morning, Severus had come to a decision regarding the boy's placement and sent a house-elf to bring the boy down. As the day prior, the boy knocked quietly and entered when beckoned, standing politely across the desk and not sitting until Severus gestured for him to do so.

"I will speak to you as if you understand me," Severus began. "Because if you do not, then I have no idea how the year will progress. Regardless of your dual sorting, you are a student of Slytherin House, my house, and as such I will expect the proper conduct from you." Severus paused because he had no idea if the boy knew the proper conduct. He decided to see how things went. "I am certain the headmaster meant to speak with you about this, but as he has not done so, I will say that the faculty of this school cannot call you 'boy', and the nickname Hagrid has assigned you will do you no good with your peers. As such, you will have to think of an appropriate name for yourself, or I will have to think of one for you."

Severus leaned back in his chair and looked piercingly at his newest student. Green eyes watched him closely. "I will say, at this time, that I am a man who appreciates order. You will understand that as a professor, I have no tolerance for foolish misbehavior in my class. As head of house, I will not tolerate improper conduct outside of class. So long as you are not an unruly trouble-maker, we shall have no difficulties, you and I." Severus glanced down at the pages on his desk. "Several of your professors have, in lieu of deciding where you fit, opted to simply give you private tutoring. In light of the results of your test, I feel confident that placing you in a sixth year class will be the best option; however, if you should wish to move to a seventh year level, I will provide a list of extra credit reading and assignments and provided you complete this work in a satisfactory fashion, I will promote you to the higher class."

Severus tapped his fingers on the desk, eyeing the boy closely. "Now, with regards to your name …"

"Harry Potter, sir," the soft voice interrupted.

Severus was stunned for a moment. Then followed where the boy's eyes were resting. An Appian fruit – a very hairy and darkly colored fruit – was sitting on a shelf. Beside it was a clay pot. Severus smirked. "That would be acceptable," Severus commented. Harry Potter grinned a little cheekily, and then reached into his pocket and withdrew one of the crackers Severus had left on the rock, he flicked it between his fingers and then bit it. "That will be quite stale."

"Preservation charm," Harry Potter said with a shrug.

Severus sat and eyed the boy closely, his fingers steepled and his thumbs pressing lightly against his lips. "The question arises, if you are capable of full comprehension of the English language, why not share that earlier? It would have gone a long way in simplifying these tests." Harry simply held Severus' gaze. Severus thought that his meaning was altogether too clear. "Hm. It would appear you are, indeed, Slytherin, Mr. Potter." It made Severus wonder what exactly had been going through the boy's head as he sat in the headmaster's office and watched the most powerful wizard of their time pantomiming and enunciating and, in general, acting ridiculous. "Ten points to Slytherin," Severus said, with a fond smile. Then he frowned. "And Gryffindor."

……………………….

The Great Hall was buzzing with chatter as Albus Dumbledore rose from his seat, but they quietened when they noticed the headmaster standing, arms outspread. No one noticed the figure that stood off to the side, somewhat behind the headmaster until Albus introduced him – the new student, Harry Potter, who belonged to both Slytherin and Gryffindor at once – and suddenly that figure was all the students could see.

He wasn't much to look at: unruly, dark hair, neither particularly tall nor very small, not very plump, nor was he apparently very strong. The only thing of note about him was the crest on his robes, on which a snake and lion both posed together in a dubious friendship. They applauded, because that seemed the thing to do – and then both Gryffindor and Slytherin proceeded to call-out in an attempt to draw the new student – apparently a transfer from a small French school – towards their house table.

Harry Potter walked a bit shyly perhaps, but despite his head being perhaps a bit too tilted towards the ground, his eyes were keen and watching. He paced towards Gryffindor table and settled in between a redheaded freckled boy and another dark-skinned boy, with short-cropped hair.

"You're from France?" the redhead asked as Harry settled onto the bench and began to dish out some roasted chicken onto his plate. In answer to this (rather inane) question, the boy received a brilliant green stare followed by a slow blink. The boy spoke with his mouth full, but stretched his arm to bridge the distance, offering his hand. "I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley. That's Dean, and this is Seamus and Neville," he indicated the boys who sat with them as he spoke their names.

"Harry Potter," Harry Potter said. The handshake was firm but short. Questions flowed throughout dinner – why had he transferred? How did Harry get into two houses at once? – and Harry's answers served only to prompt further questions.

As Harry described his class schedule, Ron dropped a cardboard box onto Harry's plate. "Bet they didn't have those in France."

"What is it?" Harry asked curiously, as he picked-up the box and inspected it.

"Chocolate frog," Ron explained. Harry opened the box and a frog that did appear to be made of chocolate leapt out. "Rotten luck," Ron said as the thing took-off into the air. "They've only got one good jump in them." But as he spoke Harry had picked-up his fork and in a motion too fast for the others too clearly see he speared the leaping chocolate frog, and pinned it neatly to the table.

"Wow," Dean said. Harry broke-off a chocolate leg and bit it delicately, then turned to his fellow students and grinned.

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End Chapter:


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